Posted on 07/30/2010 12:40:22 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Manufacturers Vie To Close Fighter Gap
Jul 29, 2010
By Douglas Barrie, Amy Butler, Robert Wall Farnborough, Farnborough, Farnborough
Savings at home and sales abroad are emerging as key drivers in the fighter aircraft market as manufacturers vie for export programs fundamental to their future welfare.
Some of the efforts are aimed at tempting prospective F-35 buyers to defect.
Building on its F-15 Silent Eagle template, Boeing is now offering a similar upgrade model for its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Britain, meanwhile, is pushing Eurofighter partners for further support savings on the Typhoon and is hinting its signature of a further upgrade package is tied to satisfactory progress. The U.K. Defense Ministry has concerns about the projected longer-term sustainment costs of the aircraft. Software release package 14 is being viewed by London as a possible “watershed.”
The Typhoon partner nations are also launching development of an active, electronically scanned array (AESA) program to address what is now a must-have capability in the export arena, at least for some Typhoon partner nations. One support benefit from AESA technology is far greater reliability—and reduced maintenance cost—compared with traditional mechanically scanned radar.
Gripen manufacturer Saab is trying to use the incentive of involving Embraer or Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. in its proposed naval fighter, Sea Gripen, to bolster its industrial participation offering in the fighter battles in Brazil and India.
The Defense Ministry had asked for an initial response to its cost-cutting drive from Germany, Italy and Spain by the beginning of this month. Indications now are that the reduction plan could put London and Berlin at odds.
The Eurofighter industry consortium is also considering revisiting work carried out at the beginning of this decade that was similar to parts of Boeing’s upgrade packages for the F-15 and now for the F/A-18.
Alongside the F/A-18E/F upgrade path, the U.S. manufacturer also revealed last week that it fired a Raytheon AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (Amraam) from the Silent Eagle conformal weapons bay demonstrator. Given that it was the first launch, it likely was from the most benign part of the firing envelope.
The Super Hornet upgrade package is intended to offer customers a fighter option, especially those awaiting arrival of the Joint Strike Fighter, which is escalating in cost.
But the company appears to be taking a less dramatic approach to demonstrating the new capability than with its Silent Eagle cousin, which features conformal weapons bays, optional radar cross-section-reducing canted tail fins and a digital electronic-warfare system.
Plans to demonstrate the Super Hornet, however, are being kept under wraps.
Some elements, such as the proposed click-and-drag, large cockpit display, are slated to be ready for flight test in 2015. Full capability is expected by no later than 2018.
While the Silent Eagle project is geared toward signature management by reducing the aircraft’s radar cross section—though with loss of range—the Super Hornet upgrade kit features basic performance gains. These are projected to include a 10% increase in range and a 20% boost in engine thrust.
The addition of a centerline pod for internal weapons carriage will also contribute to reducing the aircraft’s radar signature. The weapons pod includes four stations, notionally for a mix of Amraam and 500-lb. Joint Direct Attack Munitions.
Fitting the aircraft with an internal infrared search-and-track (IRST) and 360-deg. laser-based missile-warning system is also included, says Shelley Lavender, vice president of Boeing Global Strike Systems. The Super Hornet is already wired for the introduction of an IRST.
The company is offering these upgrades to its fighter family to prove to customers that it is “serious about investing in the future,” says Dennis Muilenburg, president/CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, who says he met with some interested, although undisclosed, customers here last week. Though he declines to say how far along development is, Muilenburg boasts that the company has made “significant progress” on the weapons pod.
Though Lavender says the project is geared to international customers, officials clearly hope to entice the U.S. Navy as it awaits arrival of Joint Strike Fighters. She says the design is a “balanced approach to stealth” at low cost, but declined to offer a kit price. She says it is “up to the customer” how stealthy the aircraft could be.
While not in the proposal for India’s ongoing fighter source selection, Lavender says the capability could be fitted on India’s aircraft if the Super Hornet is chosen.
To protect the 2015 timeline for its AESA development—key to its Indian export campaign—the Eurofighter radar consortium is pre-funding the system’s development until March 2011.
Some workshare issues remain to be sorted out, but the development effort for the AESA, which will replace the mechanically scanned antenna, began this month. Eurofighter CEO Enzo Casolini says the work is covered by an agreement in principle from the U.K., Germany, Italy and Spain to acquire such a system.
The first AESA should fly in 2013 on a Typhoon. One transmit-receive module product site will be selected, says Bob Mason, Selex Galileo vice president for marketing and sales. The consortium indicates it would be open to other participants if Typhoon export customers were interested.
The U.K. is running a technology demonstration program (TDP)—called Bright Adder—in parallel, which also is to fly in 2013, but this is focused on specific air-to-ground modes.
The baseline for the performance is a harmonized requirement from the core nations that was developed in recent months. Nation-specific differences could be handled via software adaptations, although there is no word on whether there may be hardware elements associated with the U.K. TDP activity.
The AESA will use the Captor “back-end” equipment, which Mason says has sufficient power and cooling to handle the new antenna. A new back-end may emerge in another 10 years as part of Typhoon’s development process.
The radar comes with a repositioner to provide a greater field of regard. Mason notes that the repositioner is well balanced and does not move as quickly as on the mechanically scanned version, and therefore should not present reliability concerns. What’s more, he argues, “any very minor reliability degradation” would be offset by the big boost in radar performance.
Meanwhile, concern is growing within the industry that Brazil’s F-X2 fighter program may follow its predecessor effort into a no-decision, meaning a new fighter program will have to be created.
The Brazilian government will not make a decision on the F-X2 fighter competition before its presidential elections this fall, predicts Lt. Gen. Junito Saito, Brazilian air force chief of staff. He indicates a decision may have been made by then, but will be handed-off by President Lula da Silva to his replacement. The demise of F-X2 is seen as likely if the opposition party wins.
In India, the source-selection process is continuing apparently on plan, with the technical evaluation report now submitted. The next major milestone is a potential down-select, although industry officials believe all six contestants could remain in the running.
Japan is another export market Boeing and Eurofighter are watching with interest. Although Boeing still has the F-15 and F/A-18E/F nominally in the running, the company is beginning to think the Super Hornet may offer a better chance due to the probability of future development activities that could involve Japanese industry. Aerospace companies there are worried about the imminent end of F-2 production, though a further sustainment order for a few aircraft could yet be placed.
The F-35 program brought it upon itself.....one seriously overpriced, overdue piece of *hit.
Its all Drones for them.The lik.
Thee the idea of surveillance of the US population, and picking off resisters piecemeal, just like is being done in Pakistan. Obama means to make this come in handy against Americans, and fighters cannot be put to such use. Therefore the evolution of US fighter aircraft is at an end. So is NASA.
Drones are where the futuire lies, according to Obama.
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